[Volume 2: The Shadow Sovereign Begins]
Kael stepped back through the veil of shadows, returning to the subway station. The atmosphere had completely shifted in his brief absence.
Under Elara's surprisingly firm direction, the two hundred survivors had organized into basic defensive groups. The weak and injured were placed near the back walls, while anyone capable of holding a rusted pipe or kitchen knife stood guard near the barricades.
When Kael emerged from the maintenance tunnel, the entire station fell completely silent. The aura radiating from him had fundamentally changed. Thanks to his new title, The Omniscient Shadow, thin wisps of black vapor seemed to permanently curl around his boots.
He didn't look like a human anymore. He looked like an apex predator.
Elara approached him, tightly gripping the Rare-grade Azure Blade he had given her. "You're back. What... what was in there?"
"The key to winning this game," Kael replied cryptically. His gaze swept over the platform, finally landing on the corpse of Arthur. The body of the false king lay exactly where Kael had left it, pooling blood onto the white tiles.
Kael walked over to the corpse. A dark, twisted idea formed in his mind. The Omniscient Shadow title increased the power of all Necromancy skills by 300%. But first, he needed a Necromancy skill.
"System," Kael muttered. "Can I Devour the ambient mana from the 'Throne of the Forgotten' to synthesize a new skill?"
[Processing...][Because Player's Class is 'Sovereign of Glitches', extreme anomalies are permitted.][Skill Synthesized: 'Shadow Extraction' (A-Rank)][Description: Rip the soul from a slain enemy and bind it to your shadow. The extracted shadow will retain a portion of its original stats and absolute loyalty to the caster.]
Kael smiled. A vicious, cold smile that made Elara shiver from ten feet away.
In his past life, Arthur had used Kael as a meat shield, forcing him to walk into traps to trigger them. Arthur had sneered at him, called him worthless, and eventually drove a sword through his back.
Let's see how much you like being a meat shield, Arthur.
Kael extended his right hand over the corpse. "Shadow Extraction."
The subway station plunged into an unnatural, freezing darkness. The floating blue emergency lights flickered wildly. A geyser of pure, ink-black energy erupted from Arthur's chest. The survivors screamed, backing away as the shadow twisted, contorted, and ripped itself free from the physical body.
The shadow materialized into a towering, pitch-black knight wielding a shadowy replica of the Azure Blade. It retained Arthur's general shape, but its eyes glowed with a hollow, eerie blue light.
[Extraction Successful.][Name: Shadow Vanguard (Arthur)][Grade: Elite][Level: 10]
The shadow of Arthur didn't roar or attack. Instead, it slowly turned to face Kael, dropped to one knee, and bowed its head in absolute, unquestioning submission.
"Perfect," Kael whispered. "Arise, betrayer. You work for me now."